##@*†^~,,, ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, ,,~^†*@###
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#@*†^~,,,, ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, WINDS ESKER ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, KEPT ME AWAY. ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, BLUEBERRIES. ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, AWAY. ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, REMEMBER. ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, GROUND ITSELF. ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, FORK. ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ,,,,~^†*@#
##@*†^~,,, STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,,,~^†*@##
###@*†^~,, ,,~^†*@###
##@*†^~,,, ,,,~^†*@##
#@*†^~,,,, ,,,,~^†*@#
@*†^~,,,,, ,,,,,~^†*@
#@*†^~,,,, ,,,,~^†*@#